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Nutrition and daily life

Mushrooms — food card: cultivated and fully cooked only

Govurma with mushrooms and mushroom soup are tasty, filling dishes. Mushrooms are low in calories and rich in B vitamins and selenium. This card explains their benefits and the safety rules during treatment.

Last updated: ~1 min read
Fully cooked cultivated mushrooms are safe and tasty
Figure 1.Fully cooked cultivated mushrooms are safe and tasty.

01Short answer

Mushrooms provide B vitamins, selenium, potassium, fibre and, if grown in light, vitamin D. During treatment choose only cultivated shop mushrooms (button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms) and cook them fully. Wild mushrooms carry a risk of poisoning. Raw mushrooms are usually not recommended during neutropenia. Mushroom extracts and capsules do not treat leukemia.

02Simple explanation

Mushrooms are low in calories but rich in B vitamins and selenium.

Shop mushrooms are cultivated, safe species.

Among wild mushrooms, poisonous species look like edible ones.

Cooking fully kills germs and makes them easier to digest.

03Scientific explanation

Poisoning: most severe mushroom poisonings follow misidentification of wild mushrooms.

Medicinal mushrooms: the NCI PDQ review examines mushroom extracts in cancer, but there is no evidence that they treat leukemia.

Interactions: MSK notes that reishi may affect blood clotting and some medicines.

04What happens in the body?

What do they provide?

100 g of cooked button mushrooms gives about 25–30 kcal, 2–3 g protein, vitamins B2 and B3 and selenium.

Gold and teal light rises from a cooked white mushroom cap.
Figure 2.Mushrooms provide B vitamins and selenium.

How to choose

Firm, dry, unblemished cultivated mushrooms in a sealed pack. Throw away slimy or darkened ones.

On the left wild mushrooms on moss in shadow, on the right clean button mushrooms in warm light.
Figure 3.Shop mushrooms instead of wild ones.

Cooking

Rinse or wipe the mushrooms and cook until golden and their juices have evaporated. Avoid raw mushroom salads during neutropenia.

Storage

In a paper bag in the fridge for 2–3 days. Eat a cooked mushroom dish within 1–2 days.

05Mushrooms: four steps

Shop mushrooms, no wild ones, cook fully, keep cold.

Cultivated — Sealed pack.1CultivatedSealed pack.
No wild mushrooms — Risk of poisoning.2No wild mushroomsRisk of poisoning.
Cook fully — Until golden.3Cook fullyUntil golden.
Refrigerate — 1–2 days.4Refrigerate1–2 days.
B vitaminsWith few calories.
FillingAdds to dishes.
SafetyThe right choice.

06Key points at a glance

TopicIn brief
What do they provide?100 g of cooked button mushrooms gives about 25–30 kcal, 2–3 g protein, vitamins B2 and B3 and selenium.
How to chooseFirm, dry, unblemished cultivated mushrooms in a sealed pack. Throw away slimy or darkened ones.
CookingRinse or wipe the mushrooms and cook until golden and their juices have evaporated. Avoid raw mushroom salads during neutropenia.
StorageIn a paper bag in the fridge for 2–3 days. Eat a cooked mushroom dish within 1–2 days.

07Key terms

Cultivated mushrooms
Mushrooms grown on farms.
Wild mushrooms
Mushrooms picked in the forest.
Selenium
A mineral that protects cells.
Extract
A concentrate from a plant or mushroom.
Jaundice
Yellowing of the skin and eyes.

08Key points

  • Shop mushrooms only.
  • Do not eat wild mushrooms.
  • Cook fully, never raw.
  • Mushroom capsules do not treat leukemia.
  • Call emergency services if poisoning is suspected.

09Frequently asked questions

Can I eat canned mushrooms?

Factory-canned ones with an unbulged lid are fine; heat them in a hot dish. Home-canned mushrooms carry a botulism risk.

Is chaga tea useful?

Chaga has no proven benefit in leukemia and may affect the kidneys and medicines. Ask your doctor.

Are mushrooms heavy to digest?

They cause wind and bloating in some people. Eat small portions, well cooked and finely chopped.

10Questions for your doctor

Take these questions to your appointment. The ones you save are collected on the “My questions” page and stay on this device only.

  1. Can I eat canned mushrooms?

  2. Is chaga tea useful?

  3. Are mushrooms heavy to digest?

My questions

12Sources

  1. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center — About Herbs. Reishi Mushroom
  2. National Cancer Institute (PDQ). Medicinal Mushrooms
  3. Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Diet Guidelines for Immunosuppressed Patients
  4. NHS. 5 A Day: what counts?
  5. Cancer.Net (ASCO). Nausea and Vomiting
  6. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Ginger
  7. Supportive Care in Cancer, 2023. 2023 updated MASCC/ESMO consensus recommendations: prevention of nausea and vomiting following high-emetic-risk antineoplastic agents
  8. Cancer, 2020. MASCC/ISOO clinical practice guidelines for the management of mucositis secondary to cancer therapy
  9. Cancer.Net (ASCO). Dehydration
  10. American Cancer Society. Diarrhea
Medical disclaimerThis information is for educational purposes only and does not replace medical advice.
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